Synonyms

nurturing

American

[nur-cher-ing] / ˈnɜr tʃər ɪŋ /

adjective

providing food, protection, comfort, or support.

Creating safe, nurturing places where all children can grow and develop their unique gifts is a responsibility of all adult members of a society.

noun

the act of providing food, protection, support, or encouragement.

There's no substitute for what nurturing can do for a child.
the act or process of educating or training.

We hope to build an ecosystem in this county that encourages incubation, innovation, and nurturing of entrepreneurs.

Etymology

Origin of nurturing

First recorded in 1425–75; nurtur(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective sense; nurtur(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“In an era where we’re all so online, it was reassuring and felt nurturing. It’s good evidence of how much film culture means to people.”

From Los Angeles Times

London Fashion Week, better known for nurturing new talent than for its big-name shows, kicks off on Thursday with a tribute to one of its stalwarts Paul Costelloe.

From Barron's

It underwrites the sorts of elite cultural and educational institutions that Alexis de Tocqueville and others believed an egalitarian democracy would have difficulty nurturing.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Omra was so young, her parents should have been nurturing her, allowing her to grow into the child she would become," he said.

From BBC

A Sheep is nurturing, sensitive and empathetic, and the Horse baby brings energy and momentum into the Sheep parent’s world.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023